Tag Archives: insperational

The Rabbit and the Turtle – Tale

Context: “Slow and steady wins the race.” The informant, LD, shares their knowledge of the Rabbit and the Turtle and what it means to them and their Vietnamese culture.

Interview: Out of the many folk tales and fables that were told to me growing up, the story, told to me by my mother, about a turtle beating a hare in a race stuck with me in many ways. The most common moral of the story instilled within us was persistence; the turtle knew that it would be slower than the hare but it never gave up and in the end, its hard work overshadowed the hare’s natural ability. However, as I’ve grown older, the story applied to my life in another way: contentment. We all move at our own pace, and we should be okay with that. Along with what I learned on my own, I was also able to compare it to my culture and what my parents have taught me about my Vietnamese background, valuing harmony, and how to place collective well-being over individual achievement and competition. If we stop comparing our lives and achievements to other people, our focus on our journey will ultimately make us more successful in the end.

Analysis: The informant LD shares their relationship to the tale of the Rabbit and the Turtle and connects it with their life and how it has shaped them and their beliefs. The interview dives into the ideas of resilience and adaptability, showing that growth played a major role in their life connecting and building a stronger understanding of what the deeper meaning of the story had. The informant grew with the story by taking the story and developing many personal teachings that relate to their everyday life, helping them value their progression as a person more fulfilling because the barrier of envy and comparison is no longer in the way. As for cultural teachings, LD took the story and connected what he learned to the values of the Vietnamese culture, learning how to practice harmony, being apart of a whole rather than singling themselves out for one’s benefit, (i.e. being humble).

Folk Speech “Winners never quit, quitters never win”

Text : “Winners never quit, quitters never win.”

Context: It was a proverb my track and field coach would say right before giving us an unforgiving workout. It has transcended the track and now I apply it to almost every branch of life. I first heard the proverb in my track and field practice from my coach. To me, I see it as an over-explanation of the concept of winning or how to achieve excellence; though the oversimplification puts emphasis on the effect of persistence in regard to achievement.

Analysis: The proverb is a quote used to motivate people whether that be in a competitive setting or in need of motivation. The proverb making its first appearance in a track and field practice sets the proverb’s meaning to one thing and expands it to another, the interpreter’s life. With the proverb in mind, it pushes one to never give up on what they are doing as if they do, they’ll never succeed because quitting guarantees failure. The proverb seems to relate to many athletes and people who are driven by success or winning. The motivation that is also held within the proverb may also be related to many cultures where failure is not an option such as athlete culture, Hispanic culture, or work culture. I can see through the relation between the quote to the informant, that they were moved and changed by the quote, inspiring them to give challenges one more push until they either succeed or resort to keep pushing; failure is not an option to them.